The Footprint Blog

Detox your beauty routine

This post originally appeared on the JustGreen Community website.

We’re taking “natural beauty” to a whole new level!

Did you know that the average woman uses a dozen products (containing an average of 160 chemicals) every day – often all before breakfast? Men use about half this amount – or 80 chemicals a day. Not only are these chemicals hazardous and harmful to your skin and body, but they also take a toll on your carbon footprint and contribute to global warming, too.

With Earth Day just behind us, we’re encouraging all our readers to “green” their lives! This process extends to your daily beauty regimen. The chemicals in perfumes, makeup, and skincare products can end up in the air and even in the local water supplies, and the manufacture of such products produces harmful carbon emissions. Below, find our top tips for purchasing eco-friendly makeup and skincare products:

Find Out What’s in Your Products: The helpful cosmetics database Skin Deep, created by Environmental Working Group, helps consumers figure out which chemicals, toxins and potentially harmful ingredients are in the products they use and purchase every day. Look for a score of 0-2 for products with the least amount of toxins/harmful chemicals.

Avoid Certain Chemicals: Many makeup and skincare products on the market contain chemicals with unnecessary toxins. Some to look out for include: sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, petrochemicals, parabens, phthalates, diethanolamine, propylene glycol/polyethylene glycol, formaldehyde, PEGs, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances. For a full list of ingredients to avoid, check out this helpful guide.

Read Labels Carefully: As a general rule of thumb, the longer the list of ingredients, the more toxins or unnatural chemicals. Look for ingredients you recognize (and can pronounce).

Go Natural on the Hair Color: There’s a reason that the smell of hair dye/bleach stings your nose: Most of these products contain little other than chemicals. Here’s the bad news – to date, a 100% “green” hair dye does not yet exist. The good news is that many eco-conscious companies are coming close. Consider going the natural route for now.

Beware of Suspect Marketing Claims: Beware of labels claiming “all natural” or “nontoxic” ingredients. Carefully reading the label and looking up the products on this free database is the best way to ensure a truly natural product/cosmetic.

Buy in Bulk/Avoid Travel Sizes: On a purely eco-friendly level, buying in bulk is the best way to avoid excess packaging. If you’ll be traveling, purchase small, refillable containers that can be used multiple times.

Tell us: What’s a part of your “green” beauty routine? Let us know in the comments, below!